Temperatures across the Gulf have reached 40°C, for many outdoor workers this means dehydration, perspiration and discomfort. To combat the heat, inspectors from Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (Ded) have been given battery-powered, air-cooled jackets for their field visits, reported The National on Saturday. “The inspectors go on routine and random inspections in retail outlets across Dubai as part of the department’s role in protecting the rights of consumers ...

Two Mursis walk into a mosque. One comes within reach of the other, but much to the disappointment of the Egyptian president’s lookalike, security guards block the rendezvous. It was seemingly never meant to be. On Friday, Mohammed Mursi’s doppelganger had attempted to meet the president after Friday prayers at a mosque in a Cairo district. “Seemingly hoping the guards would make an exception for him due to the physical resemblance between him and Mursi, Ramadan al-Sohaji asked ...

With an olive green head scarf poking out from her helmet, Ayesha Farooq flashes a cheeky grin when asked if it is lonely being the only war-ready female fighter pilot in the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Farooq, from Punjab province’s historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade - there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. “I don’t feel ...

Syrian refugees in Turkey, particularly those residing in Istanbul, suffer from the high cost of living. Some, however, have faced their struggles and managed to startup businesses to earn a living. Mohammad Bitar, from Syria's Zabadani, worked as a teacher before the revolution erupted in 2011. He later worked as a cook and he now owns a restaurant chain in Istanbul. His nickname is now the “father of the Syrians” as he welcomes thousands of Syrian refugees and is well-known as the ...

The current political scene in Iraq is appearing to encourage Iraqi women in the Anbar and Ninawa provinces to participate more than before in the political process. Iraq’s elections committee said this week that the number of women competing in local elections has greatly increased compared with the 2009 elections, despite the tribal nature of both communities, adding that this participation is the highest since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. Most female candidates are well ...

Frequently announcing space advancements, Iran on Sunday said it had set up its first center to monitor objects passing in orbit, Iranian media reported. The center will continuously track objects moving in space, and that it is ready to share data with other countries, Iranian Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Irna news agency. Although the report cannot be independently verified, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reportedly present at the ...

Turkey’s prime minister meant it as an insult when he dismissed protesters as “capulcu” -- “vandals” or “looters.” But they’ve become fond of it, adopting it as their nickname and spreading it via Facebook and Twitter. It is just one in a flood of edgy jokes and slogans that have kept the young Turks chuckling in between bouts of being chased by police with tear gas and water cannon at protests against the premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ...

For Kabul’s wealthy elite some things are de rigueur: armed guards, a marble-clad mansion, a blacked-out SUV. But one man has taken the flamboyant lifestyle a step further and bought a lion. Mohammad Shafiq, a 42-year-old businessman, is very proud of his growling pet, which spends its days prowling a roof terrace at his sprawling home in a posh residential area of central Kabul. “A friend said he had a lion in Kandahar and wanted to sell it to me,” Shafiq, who runs a ...

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Friday for Israel’s annual Gay Pride parade, which attracts visitors from all over the world, this year including France’s first gay married couple. Gay, lesbian and transgender activists and sympathizers, draped in rainbow flags, took part in a procession of floats through the Mediterranean coastal city blasting out electronic music. Tel Aviv city hall said this marked 20 years since the municipality first organized a public ...

An envoy from Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, Al-Azhar in Cairo, raised the prospect of restoring ties with the Vatican on Friday but called on Pope Francis to take “a step forward” by declaring that Islam is a peaceful religion. “The problems that we had were not with the Vatican but with the former pope. Now the doors of Al-Azhar are open,” Mahmoud Abdel Gawad, diplomatic envoy to the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, told Italian daily Il Messaggero in ...